1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle surrounding visual field support device and method, and more particularly to a vehicle surrounding visual field support device and method for displaying an image representing a surrounding visual field of a connected vehicle composed of a tractor and a trailer on a display device included in the interior of the tractor. The invention also relates to an image processor for use in the vehicle surrounding visual field support device.
2. Description of Related Art
In a connected vehicle composed of a tractor and a trailer pulled by the tractor, the tractor and the trailer bend at a connecting section at the time of vehicle body turning, with the bending angle (connecting angle) varying every moment in accordance with the turning condition.
Operating a connected vehicle of this type is relatively difficult. For example, to move the connected vehicle backward while turning it rightward, it is required to perform driving operation of first steering leftward to obtain some connecting angle and then steering rightward. In this manner, the driver is required to turn the vehicle while recognizing the connecting angle and at the same time check the security of the surrounding. However, in a connected vehicle of this type, a dead zone is large and varies with turning, which makes it difficult for even an experienced driver to reliably recognize the connecting angle and check the security, thus imposing great loads on him or her. Technologies for reducing these loads are important.
As technologies for supporting the visual field of a connected vehicle of this type, there are some conventional technologies. For example, with the first conventional technology, cameras are installed at the left and right rear ends of a trailer and the camera at the rear end opposite to the trailer bending direction is turned in accordance with the trailer bending angle to photograph a trailer side that becomes dead space. Then a predicted path line is displayed in superimposition on a video obtained by this photographing.
For example, with the second conventional technique, cameras capable of controlling the camera direction are installed at the left and right rear ends of a tractor to control the camera direction in accordance with the trailer bending angle.
A large number of methods of detecting the trailer connecting angle have also been proposed. There have already been disclosed technologies related to image synthesis processing of synthesizing a plurality of images to generate a panorama image. Moreover, technologies related to cylindrical surface projection conversion processing considering the camera tilt angle have been disclosed already.